Riesling (rees-ling)
One of the most important white wine varietals in Germany and one of the most celebrated varietals worldwide. Wines made from Riesling are balanced with strong fruit flavors and sufficient acidity to make them long-lived. Riesling accounts for some of the world's finest sweet whites.

Rioja (ree-oh-ha)
A renowned Spanish wine producing region with a history that goes back to the Roman era. Rioja might have had only its heritage to brag about had wine makers from Bordeaux not emigrated there in the 19th century in an attempt to escape the phylloxera that had destroyed their vineyards in France. Eventually the lice followed them there but not before they successfully revitalized the wine industry and growers got better at fighting the pesky insect. The quality of the wines produced in Rioja used to be less than consistent due to the dry, hot climate, which often was too much for the wines to endure throughout various stages of production. Modern vinification technology and temperature controlled vats are now able to bring consistent quality to the wines of the region. Tempranillo, Garnacha (Grenache in French), Mazuelo, and Graciano are the grapes used to produce Rioja's red wines, while Viura (also called Macabeo), Malvasia, and increasingly smaller amounts Garnacha Blanca (White Grenache) are the grapes most often used for white Rioja.

Riserva (ree-zair-vah)
The descriptor in Italy (regulated by Italian law) that means the wine has been aged a certain number of years. Just how many depends on the wine. For Chianti to be classified as Riserva, it has to be aged 3 years. For Brunello or Barolo the requirement is 5. Unlike in Spain, barrel aging is not required for classification as Riserva.

Robust
A wine tasting term describing a full-bodied wine (typically red). Similar in definition to "big", it also implies the wine is round, full of flavor and has good mouthfeel.

Rosé (ro-zay)
In French it means pink and in wine-speak it means wines that are pink or reminiscent of the color. With the exception of some Champagnes in France, rosé wines are made from red grapes so they are also known as "blanc de noir" (as in white from black, referring to dark grapes). Unfortunately, rosé wines don't enjoy a great reputation in the United States, perhaps because drinkers of wine may self-categorize as fans of red or white. Perhaps it's because rosé jug wines prevalent in the U.S. in the 1960s and 1970s were of less than high quality. The white zinfandels prevalent today do little to enhance the reputation of rosés. But fine dry rosés are produced in many regions of both the Old and New Wine Worlds, including fine French examples from Anjou, Lirac and Tavel. In the U.S., the descriptor "blush" is commonly used instead of "rosé".

Roses
Many a vacationer returns with photos of roses growing happily at the end of row after row of grapevines. They likely think of them as simply decorative, but in fact they actually serve an important function. They are essentially a viticultural canary-in-the-mine. Roses are highly vulnerable to a powdery fungal infection called oidium. If and when the roses are attacked by it, the grapes are treated to ward off a coming infestation.

Rosso (ross'-oh) (Italy)
The word for "red" in Italian. In Italy, it sometimes makes up part of the name of a wine, as in Rosso Piceno or Rosso di Montepulciano.

Rotwein (rot-vine) (German)
"Rot" is "red" and "wein" is "wine" in German - thus the German word for red wines.

Rouge (rooj) (French)
The French word for "red." In France "vin rouge" is red wine and the phrase is often used to order the house red.

Rough
A wine tasting term describing an unpleasant wine that bites, tastes harsh, is too tannic and/or unbalanced. Usually the term describes young wines but such a verdict doesn't hold out much hope that the wine will soften sufficiently with age to be a quality wine. The rough feeling may diminish over time, but so will the pleasing fruit flavors.

Round
Not unlike the term "fat", a round wine is balanced and mellow with a well-developed flavor profile and no rough edges.

Roussillon (roo-see-yawn)
A wine-producing locale in the south of France near the city of Perpignan, just north of the border with Spain. The region is commonly referred to as Languedoc-Roussillon but Roussillon has a character that is unique. The populace regard themselves as Catalans, an ethnicity that extends as far south as Barcelona. A lot of honest, well-made table wine is produced in Roussillon, with Cinsault as the most common base varietal blended with Grenache, Mourvedre, or Syrah. They are also known for unique wines including the fortified Rivesaltes and the uncommon and stellar wine called Banyuls.

Ruby Cabernet
An American varietal cross-bred from the Cabernet Sauvignon and Cinsault grapes. Developed in 1948 at the University of California at Davis, the grape was intended to be a more commercially viable alternative to Cabernet Sauvignon, which was slow to ripen. Unfortunately, wine made from it turned out to be a disappointment, so what little of this grape is still harvested in California's Central Valley goes into the making of bulk wine.

Ruby Port
A type of port wine that has undergone aging in a wood barrel for two to three years. Because they're produced from relatively low-quality wines and bottled while still young (and bright red), ruby ports are usually the least expensive of the port wines.

Rulander (roo-lahn-der)
The name for the Pinot Gris or Pinot Grigio grape in Germany.